Refrigerator



.Zh/VENTO# y 7." fab/7@ nu May 7, 1929. F. T. RoDGERs REFRIGERATOR Filed Aug. 2, 1926 v signed for cooling by means of ice or other similarrefrigerant and has especial relationl Patented Mayr 7, 1929.

- UNiTEofSTATEs FAY T. RODGERS, 0F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

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Application `filed August 2, 1926. Serial No. 126,431.6.

Y Thisinvention relates to refrigerators deto the shape, arrangement, disposition and means of securing the refrigerant container within the refrigerator and to means for taking care of the drainage from such container.

It is of extreme importance in refrigera-.

tors, that the refrigerant be placed where it will do the most good, that the moisture condensing on the routside of the container be suitably collected, as well as, that where ice is used, the water formed by the melting ice be properly talren care of, in order that the body ofthe refrigerator or what may be designated las the,food storage ,portion7 lbe kept as free from moisture as possible.

vIt is of further importance that advantage be taken of every opportunity to bring'the air within the. refrigerator in .contact lwith the cooling medium, and that as large a proportion of the length of the refrigerator as possible be available` for use as storagel y similarly insulated, fory the introduction of space. l f Y VThe objects of this invention, are,

, (a) To provide means for exposing a maximum surfacev of the refrigerant container to the air g:

(Z2) To provide meansA for presenting the Vsurface of the refrigerant container to the direct action of the warmest air inthe refrigerator; o l n (c) To provide simple and eflicient means forl collecting the moisture of condensation on the exterior surface ofthe container; l

(d) To rovide means for leadingy or draining o the condensation moisture and the water from the melted ice in -a simple and efficient manner; l

(e) To provide asgreat visibility of the .storage space as possible, and

(ff)l To generally limprove and simplify the details of construction of the refrigerant container and drains,

The means by which these and other objects are accomplished, and the manner of their accomplishment will readily be understood from the followingdescription on reference to the drawings, in which,-

Fig. lis a sectional elevation of the refrigerator at right angles to its length, taken onthe line I-l of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation llar to the bottom ofthe case. of the case may have the usualsheet metal method of supporting one side of they re-Y frigerant container.

Fig. 4 is a similar detail showing a second method of supporting the container.

Referring now to the drawings, in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, the refrigerator yselect-ed for illustration is one having the usualinsulated bottom l, a front having a double glass panel2, with a n plurality of upper doors 3 and lower doors 4, at the rear toprovide access to the storage portion of the refrigerator. Preferably thev doors 3 are made witlidouble glass Vpanels whereas the doors 4 are of construction simi- The interior lining 5. The top'of the case is preferably of insulated construction 6 having doors 7,

the refrigerant thereinto. In the Vpresent case, only one, of two doors, is shown, though three or even more such doorsmight be used should it be deemed necessary. Y

Disposed longitudinally of the refrigerator and extending substantially the ventire length thereof, is a refrigerant container 8 which may be a ysingle continuous trough vor may be a trough made up of a number of sections 8, 8A, 8B, etc. Inl Fig. 1 this trough is shown of triangular cross section. In Fig. 3 the fragmentary sectional part thereof shown, indicates thatkit maybe v*of curved cross section, such for instance as half-round or some intermediate section between half-round and V-shaped. rl`he container is provided 'with a plurality .of drain openings 9 at or near,the bottom thereof, and preferably with openings 10 adjacent the point of support, to permit air circulation. Should it befound necessary, where the openings l0 are not placedat the lowest point of the container, additional extend upward againstr the underside of ,the

yopenings 1l may be so placed and at such refrigeratortop,y so that an air space 18 is Y left between the top of these end walls and the under surface of the refrigerator top Should the refrigerant container be made. in sections, the ends of these sections might pos-- sibly abut the one against the other, but I prefer to lap them slightly as clearly seen in Fig. 2; there being however no necessity for making such joints between the sections water tight, and this need not be done unless some special reason might arise therefor in which case the container `would then be a single continuous container. The refrigerant container or the sections thereof may be directly attached to the under surface of the top as by screws lll and a reinforcing strip 15 of somewhat thicker material may be used if it should be so desired; or hangers l5 may be used and the upper edge of the container crimped as shown in Fig. 3 to simply hook into these hangers. Should the hangers 16 be one continuous piece from end to end, rather than a number of hangers, as indicated by the lack of sectioning of this member inFig. 3, the upper portion of the container could be provided with holes as hereinbefore described, or the hanger simi larly provided, but should a plurality of short hangers be used, openings may be left between adjacent hangers, and the holes l0 in such case, be omitted.

Disposed below the central portion of the container is a drain trough 17 which may drain continuously from one end of the case to the other and be provided with a single drain pipe 18, or may drain from the center to each end with duplicate oppositely disposed drain pipes, or even should it be so desired, have the drain pipe or pipes other# wise located. While the drain pipe 18 is shown extended downwardly to drain outside of the refrigerator, it will of course be understood that some form of drain pan or pans may be used within the case to retain [the water draining from the refrigerant and thus secure such additional cooling effect Aas may result therefrom.

It lwill especially be noted that the moisture of condensation collecting on the outer surface of the container, will run down, following along the surface owing to capillary attraction, and drop from the container at the lowest point thereof and into the drainage trough therebelow.

19 isv a shelf disposed approximately flush with or slightly below the bottom of the upperdoors 3 and extending preferably from end to.l end of the case. ln using the refrigerator, the doors 7 in the top are removed and crushed ice or' other refrigerant is placed directly in the refrigerant container 8, 8^ etc., and is pushed both ways in the container to distribute the refrigerant more or less evenly therewithin. Food stuff may be placed on the shelf 19 through the upper doors 3, or be placed 'directly on the bottom of the refrigerator through the lower doors 4, and when so placed may be seen through the glass front 2, so that where'the refrigerator is used, as it ordinarily is, as a display refrigerator in Vstores or vthe like, the customer' will, largely drops directly downward, replacing warmer air from the articles placed in the case, and that a direct circulation is thereby set up, which it is impossible to secure from cases in which the refrigerant is placed at the ends of the case.

lt will be seen that the size and shape of the ice container, ordinarily is such that the sections thereof must be introduced through the rear doors rather than through the ,top openings, and that they must be and are supported from the top of the case.V Alsol it will be seen'that where hangers areus'ed the sections are detachably secured within the case. f

The drawings and description herein have been drawn with ice in mind as a re-V gas or liquid be disposed in the top of the refrigerator, the trough shaped containerl vshown would function equally well in collecting and concentrating the condensation 'drip therefrom in a drain trough and leading the water thus collected to Yaconcentration point. The use of the term com tainer or the terms refrigerant container7 hereinafter in the claims is tobe distinctly understood to cover not only an ice container, but one lying outside of, though not necessarily directly carrying a series of refrigerant pipes.

It will be distinctly understood, that the drawings herein are for purposes of illustration only, that various vmodifications therein may be made, and that it is not my intention to limit myself to the specific details herein shown except asv `such details may be hereinafter set out inthe claims.

Having now fully disclosed the invention, what is claimediszl. A refrigerator, comprising a casing provided along its median longitudinal di'- mension with openings through the top of said casing, a cover for each of said open ings, and a refrigerant containerextending being V shaped in cross section, with the upper edges of the legs of said V bent out-v ward and downward forming inverted J shaped edges, J shaped hangers secured to the under side of the top of said casing, on each side of said openings, whereby thesides of said container may be detaehably engaged with said hangers, and will depend downwardly therefrom and toward the center of said casing and present a minimum obstruction to viewing theeontents of said easing.

2. A refrigerator, comprising a casing provided along its median longitudinal dimension with openings through the top of said casing, a cover for each of said openings, and a refrigerant container extending longitudinally of said casing, said container' having the upper edges of its sides bent outward and downward, forming inverted J shaped edges, J shaped hangers secured to the under side of the top of said casing on each side of said openings whereby said container may be detaohably engaged with said hangers and will depend downwardly and toward the center ofsaid easing presenting a minimum obstruction to viewing the contents of said casing.

8. A refrigerator, comprising a casing provided along its median longitudinal dimension with openings through the top of said casing, a cover foreach'of said openings, a refrigerant container extending longitudinally of said casing, said container being V shaped in cross section, with the upper edges of the legs of said V bent outward and downwardv forming inverted J shaped edges, J shaped hangers secured to the under side of the top of said casing on each side of said openings whereby the sides of said container may be detachably engaged with said hangers and will dependv downwardly therefrom and toward the eenter of said Casing and a narrowV drain trough suspended below the lower portion of said V, whereby said container and trough will present a minimum obstruction to viewing the Contents of said Casing.v Y

In testimonyof lthe foregoing,tI aiiX my signature.

FAY T. RODGERS. 

